FIRAH (International Foundation of Applied Disability Research)
Summary
- One of the major goals of the International Foundation of Applied Disability Research is to change the way persons with disabilities are perceived. By avoiding stigmas and changing perceptions, we can help improve the inclusion and full participation of persons with disabilities in the society.
- The Foundation has chosen to focus on disability research at the international level. The Foundation is committed to the right to equality for all people, a right which is based on democratic and moral principles which are not limited to France alone. We hope to promote and spread knowledge and innovative practices for persons with disabilities on an international level. Through cross-border cooperation, we hope to collect, promote, and implement new practices throughout France. - One of the Foundation's goals is innovation in the field of applied research on support for persons with disabilities both in France and internationally.
- The social conception of disability is defined as the result of the interaction between a person's impairment and environmental obstacles. Therefore, the Foundation also has the goal of supporting the development of knowledge on how to transform environmental obstacles into facilitators.
- Finally, the Foundation's approach fits into a wider framework of improving policies designed for persons with disabilities and their families, which would recognize the principle of accommodation in support of equal opportunities for all individuals, in accordance with the principles set forth in the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Target
Our final goal is to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities by improving support systems as well as working for an adapted, facilitative environment.
Activities
• Financing research projects in relevant fields, either directly or through collaboration with organizations carrying out similar or complementary work.
• Implementing et coordinating a "Resource Center" . Internationally concerned, the Resource Centre aims at creating connections and bonds between people directly affected by disability, researchers and other legal entities and individuals. It develops and disseminates research to promote an inclusive social transformation and facilitate full involvement of disabled persons via qualitative support.
It aims to: Facilitate the establishment of collaborative applied research projects on disability which bring together researchers and people in the field. Bring awareness to and share new concepts and approaches with project starters and the public. Help to promote the results of applied research and the sharing of knowledge to facilitate their use on the field (the use of relative materials).
Other information
The Resource Center website: http://www.firah.org/centre-ressources/ This website is available in French and English. It is possible to register as a member, or to collaborate as a partner, in order to get involved in the project.
